Hill rallies from gruesome injury

After a popular run on "The Ultimate Fighter 5," Corey Hill was looking to make his mark in the UFC when he met up with Dale Hartt at UFC Fight for the Troops in December 2008. Hill fired a low kick at Hartt midway through their bout. hartt raised his leg to defend, catching hill's shin just below the knee. The result was a horrific compound fracture of Hill's tibia and fibula.

Doctors told him to expect to walk with a limp forever and never fight again. Hill met a double amputee one day in rehab.

"He was smiling and had this great attitude," Hill told Sherdog.com. "I thought, 'Why am I complaining? It could be so much worse.'"

After six months of being immobile, Hill had the pins removed from his legs and he began a painful stretch of rehab. Hill defied the medical experts and made his return to the cage on Jan. 23 and defeated Jason Trzewieczynski.

Hill fights for the fourth time this year when he takes on former WEC lightweight champion Rob McCullough of Huntington Beach on Thursday night at Tachi Palace Fights 6 in Lemoore.

Taking a look at the world of combat sports:

The MMA blogosphere was going bonkers last week after Manny Pacquiao said he would consider trying his hand in mixed martial arts. "I want to but they (promoters and management) don't want me to fight," Pacquiao told BoxingScene.com.

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